On Wednesday (Feb 4.), Big Picture Science hosts Seth Shostak and Molly Bentley will present,“Sesquicentennial Science: You can’t pronounce it, but you’re going to hear about it,” at the Eck Visitors Center Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. In front of a live audience, Notre Dame faculty interviews will be recorded for future shows. AstrophysicistJustin Crepp, the Frank M. Freimann Assistant Professor of Physics, will talk about his search for exoplanets, and data scientist Nitesh Chawla, the Frank M. Freimann Collegiate Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, will explain how big data can be used to understand climate change. Shostak and Bentley will also discuss how our understanding of science has changed in the last 150 years and field questions from the audience.

Wednesday’s event is free, but ticketed. A limited number of tickets are available from Jenna Rangel (Jenna.Rangel@nd.edu), College of Science, 215 Jordan Hall of Science, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Ticket holders are asked to arrive early; five minutes prior to the show, empty seats will be released to anyone without a ticket.

On Thursday (Feb 5.), Shostak will give the lecture, “When Will We Find Extraterrestrial Life?” at 12:30 p.m. in the Digital Visualization Theater in Jordan Hall of Science (Room 100). The lecture will discuss the history and future of finding life on other planets.

Shostak and Bentley will also host a workshop on communicating with the media on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in 101 Jordan Hall of Science. The workshop is intended to help researchers better communicate their work with the general public. Attendees will learn strategies to better explain their work and interact with reporters. All faculty, staff, and students who work in research or communications are invited to attend.

Hosted by SETI Institute astronomer Seth Shostak and science journalist Molly Bentley, Big Picture Science is a radio show and podcast that features top scientists to reveal unexpected connections between diverse scientific fields. Big Picture Science is carried through NPR’s Public Radio Satellite System, airing on more than 100 radio stations across the country, including locally on WVPE.

Originally published by Stephanie Healey at science.nd.edu on February 03, 2015.